Final pier blast set for Wednesday

Monday, January 20, 2014 7:00 AM

The last remaining pier from the original Madison-Milton bridge will be partially demolished at 4 p.m. Wednesday, weather permitting. The blast was rescheduled from Tuesday to Wednesday on Monday morning.

The last remaining pier from the original Madison-Milton bridge will be partially demolished at 4 p.m. Tuesday, weather permitting.

The 92-foot-tall pier will be removed in a series of two blasts scheduled to take place several days apart, a bridge spokesman said.

Using controlled explosives, the first blast will topple the pier above the water line. A tension line anchored on the Madison side of the river will be used to pull the pier toward the shoreline, controlling the direction of its fall.

Once the old pier is safely resting on the shoreline, it will be broken into smaller pieces and hauled off site.

A second blast later in the week will fracture remaining portions of the pier that are under water so that they can be removed and hauled off.

An 800-foot safety perimeter will be in effect during the blast, prompting parts of Fillmore Street to be closed temporarily. Walsh Construction will notify all residents affected by the blast. Bridge officials said the demolition will require a bridge closure of about 10 minutes.

While three other original piers have been strengthened and are being reused, the pier targeted for demolition has been replaced with a new land pier.

The 2,427-foot-long bridge, which is currently sitting on temporary piers, is expected to be slid onto the refurbished piers in mid-February.